1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display that is enhanced in mechanical strength by improving the design of a bezel used to support a panel assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
An OLED display includes a plurality of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), each diode having a hole injection electrode, an organic light emitting layer, and an electron injection electrode. The OLEDs emit light using energy generated when excitons produced by electron-hole combination in the organic light emitting layer drop from the excitation state to the ground state.
By the above principle, the OLED displays have a self-emissive characteristic. Therefore, unlike liquid crystal displays (LCDs), the OLED displays do not require a separate light source and thus a thickness and weight thereof can be reduced. Further, the OLED displays have a variety of beneficial properties such as low power consumption, high luminance, quick response, and the like. Therefore, the OLED displays are drawing attention as the upcoming alternative displays for portable electronic devices.
Generally, a typical OLED display includes a panel assembly in which OLEDs are formed, a bezel coupled to the panel assembly at a rear side of the panel assembly, and a printed circuit board (PCB) electrically connected to the panel assembly by a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). The panel assembly of the OLED display has two thin substrates. In addition, unlike the LCD in which the interior of a panel assembly is filled with liquid crystal, the OLED display is designed such that empty spaces exist in an inside of the panel assembly. Therefore, mechanical strength of the OLED display is not sufficient. Particularly, a drop impact resistance property of the panel assembly deteriorates with an increase in the size of the panel assembly.
Therefore, when a user accidentally drops an electronic device having the OLED display, a relatively large torsion load and/or relatively large bending load is applied to the bezel and thus the bezel is deformed. As a result, the torsion load and/or the bending load are transferred to the panel assembly coupled to the bezel. This can cause the damage of the panel assembly. What is therefore needed is a design for an OLED display that is better able to withstand impact.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that is not prior art as per 35 U.S.C. 102.